There are many areas across the country that have significant amounts and types of contaminants in their drinking water. It, of course, is desirable to remove contaminants if possible, however there have been a number of difficulties associated with producing a device that will remove a wide variety of target contaminants quickly and simply, and in an inexpensive manner.
According to the present invention, a water treatment apparatus is provided which is simple and inexpensive to manufacture, simple and easy to use, and successfully removes a wide variety of, or any desired specific, contaminants normally present in tap water. The apparatus cooperates with a conventional common household container such as an empty milk bottle or juice jug, or like plastic or glass bottles, and ensures that only treated water is dispensed from the container once it is filled with water which is treated by the apparatus.
The three basic components of the apparatus according to the invention comprise an elongated tube, a cartridge containing water treatment media, and a cap.
The tube, which commonly would be of plastic, has open first and second ends. Adjacent its open first end it has a plurality of projections extending radially from it, which projections are spaced from each other circumferentially around the tube, and which are adapted to make an interference fit with the interior surface of the neck of a conventional bottle or the like. A radially outwardly extending flange is also provided on the top of the projections, the flange minimizing the possibility that water will enter the bottle except by flowing through the open first end of the tube. The components are dimensioned so that liquid from within the bottle can flow between the interior surface of the bottle neck and the exterior surface of the tube, around the projections and past the flange, to be dispensed.
The water treatment media can comprise any of a wide variety of water treatment media such as activated carbon (or like material to remove organic materials), silver impregnated coral sand (or like media) to destroy bacteria, ion exchange resins for removing sodium or other specific ionic materials, and/or materials which leach magnesium and calcium back into the water. Media typically would be disposed within a cartridge, and the cartridge inserted into the tube adjacent the second end thereof.
The cap cooperates with the exterior surface of the bottle neck, and is adapted to close off the tube first end while allowing passage of liquid from within the bottle between the tube and the neck. The cap includes an upper portion axially spaced from and substantially co-extensive with a lower portion, the lower portion having a plurality of arcuately shaped openings therein which are circumferentially spaced from each other around substantially 360 degrees. The upper and lower portions are spaced from each other a distance sufficient to allow liquid to flow through the openings in the lower portion top surface and to the space between the upper portion and the lower portion, and then away from the cap. The cap is affixed to the outer surface of the bottle neck by screw threads, cooperating snap rings, or the like. The cap typically would be made of high density polyethylene.
It is the primary object of the present invention to provide a simple yet effective water treatment apparatus which may be simply and inexpensively used for removing contaminants from drinking water. This and other objects of the invention will become clear from an inspection of the detailed description of the drawings, and from the appended claims.